You can have too much of a good thing. London, October 17, 1814, one of the Horse Shoe Brewery’s massive beer vats collapses releasing over half a million litres of porter, demolishing nearby buildings and killing eight people - their causes of death variously described as drowning or drunkenness. The Great Deluge, brewed with barley, oats, roasted wheat and East Kent Goldings, then aged in oak barrels for over a year with brettanomyces and lactobacilli creating a throwback style porter with dark chocolate and coffee notes and a restrained tart twist. Enjoy in moderation.

Sour Porter - 13% ABV.

The name Mon Cheval is in homage to the owner's champion racehorse, Under Cover Lover, whose winning ways helped the dream of making wine possible. The 2.2 hectare vineyard is found at the entrance to Weka Pass in North Canterbury, and is planted with Pinot Noir and only a small amount of Riesling.

From the winery...

Our low-vigour, stony, clay-rich soil, cool maritime mesoclimate, naturally tiny yields of well under 35 hl/ha and our philosophy of expressing our terroir in our wines ? give rise to a certain tightness, tannin line and elevated length to balance the richness and generosity of our Pinot noir. Our Pinot noir is not overtly fruity, soft and "sweet" and it generally shows hints of that alluring savoury "primal" character along with a dark, spicy, complex primary fruit perfume.  

Soil Low-vigour, stony, clay-rich, shale-derived soil

Alcohol 13.46% Acid 5.50 g/l pH 3.48 Residual Sugar 2.30 g/l

Barrel Ageing 10 months

Oak 100% 228 litre French Oak Barrels Tight Grain 100%

1st fill 35% 2nd fill 47% 3rd fill 18%

Blonde Toast 31% Medium Toast 14% Medium Long Toast 55%

French Coopers: Francois Freres 100%

Hamilton Russell is the top winery of the Walker Bay region of South Africa. They are one of the southernmost wine estates in South Africa and are incredibly close to the sea. It is this cooling maritime influence, which helps to cool down their vineyards and enable their grapes to retain acidity, which provides freshness in the resulting wines. It was founded in 1975 by Tim Hamilton Russell who set up the property in the search of making South Africa's top cool-climate wines. It has since been taken over by his son Anthony and his wife Olive. They are now making highly individual, terroir-driven Pinot noir and Chardonnay, which are widely regarded as with the best in South Africa and among the finest in the New World.

Tasting Notes
Lime blossom, orange rind, white lotus flower and schist mineral notes on the nose lead to a spicy tightly textured palate expressing gorgeous poise, drive and balance.
About the Wine
An estate grown, single block selection made from grapes grown at our Two Paddocks’ Red Bank Vineyard in Alexandra, Central Otago, our Dry Riesling is a thought provoking expression of this location. A balance of acidity and dryness means it’s a perfect fit for food matches - the perfect counter-balance to a creamy pasta dish like a cabonara, the fresh saltiness of Oysters kilpatrick and holds its own against vibrant and spicy Asian dishes.

Vintage Comments
A mild, wet 2022 winter meant soils held a lot of water going into the spring and inter-row companion crops including clover, phacelia and barley got off to a strong start. Early spring was very cold and then as spring warmed up in November shoot growth was strong. Flowering started the first week in December and fruit set was considered good on most blocks. Mid-summer heat was high and growing degree days were above 2022 and on par with 2019 by the end of the season.

Picking dates were moving forward until the second half of March when the heat ran out and the final ripening was slow and cool. Harvest started on the 27th of March at Red Bank Vineyard and finished on the 21st of April at The First Paddock, Gibbston. Cropping levels were just short of the optimum 2022 crop.

VINEYARD MANAGEMENT - Crafted from a tiny half-hectare block of clone 110 at Two Paddocks Red Bank Vineyard at Earnscleugh, Central Otago, which consistently produces the ripest and most intense Riesling on the estate. All grapes are grown using organic principles, hand harvested and fermented in stainless steel.

The soils in this block are well draining schist loam and the vines tend to thrive. Additionally, the hot day time temperatures that Alexandra experiences over summer encourages riper stone fruit flavours, until late afternoon when the ‘Roxburgh Doctor’ wind arrives and causes a dramatic drop in temperature and hence the significantly cooler nights that the region is known for.

WINE MAKERS NOTE: Whole bunch pressed and then a light racking before fermentation. An indigenous fermentation which took 5 weeks at between 14-21 degrees Celsius. The wine was then held on light lees until it was racked and filtered for clarity and stabilisation prior to bottling.

Great gateway into the wonderful, deliciously complex world of Pinot Noir from its most famous traditional homeland, Burgundy in France. This is a top producer's starting point into the silky elegance and power of French Pinot Noir. 

Zeffer's Hazy Alcoholic Lemonade is crafted using freshly squeezed Hawke's Bay lemons and a special blend of apple and grape based spirits. Zeffer have also left this one unfiltered for an extra burst of lip-smacking lemon flavour. It's your favourite refreshing lemonade, reimagined. And quite possibly your new favourite summer drink.

Juicy Quince and Apples dominate the aroma, followed closely by the blond yeast aromas making the perfect fruit bowl. A medium mouthfeel and bready malt base makes this beer stand up to its name and taste the Quince Pears and Apples all over.

8.5% ABV

Best Before: 2025/10/30

Secular Brandy is a bright golden mahogany colour. It is aged in very old American oak barrels for a minimum of 12 months and exhibits deep complex aromas and flavours of dried fruit and oak.

Oud Bruin, the traditional brown ale of Flemish Belgium, here painstakingly recreated and lovingly tended by Dave Bell, our Wild Workshop brewer.  Prolonged ageing in wood with a blend of yeasts and Lactobacillus creates a beer bursting wit dark sour cherry and dried fruit flavours, topped off with coffee and chocolate notes.  Dark and complex, a little bit like our Dave.  

Ask not for whom the Bell toils, he toils for thee.

7.7% ABV.

Our 2024 vintage of Meli is a barrel fermented pale ale conditioned on local wildflower honey and NZ Cascade & Wai-iti hops. Meli showcases a nice piney, kaffir lime hop aroma matched with rustic barrel character and a floral clean honey finish. Light bodied, dry, and fresh with a light bitter finish.

Barrel Fermented Spelt Saison 

4.6% Alc by Vol | 750mL bottle 

Spelt Saison brewed into large format neutral French oak barrel on a mixed culture of yeasts. Aged in barrel for 14 months and conditioned in bottle for 6 months before release. A slightly nutty, bready, and crisp malt base with a fresh floral and faintly earthy nose. A touch of bitterness to balance out, and a tart spelt rusticity. This beer is complex, fun, and made to share.